Jude Bellingham has addressed transfer speculation linking him with a switch to Manchester United or Liverpool from Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham joined the Bundesliga side in a £25million transfer from his hometown club Birmingham City back in July 2020. The 18-year-old has since gone on to establish himself as one of the most promising young players in Europe and become a regular at international level for England.
That has led to renewed links with Manchester United, Liverpool and other top clubs - but Bellingham has now stated he will be starting next season still at Dortmund.
When asked about his future and summer transfer speculation, Bellingham told Ruhr Nachrichten BVB: “The only future I think about is the next game for Dortmund. I look forward to next season. I look forward to it finally starting. But yes, I will be here next season and I will be ready.”
United made a concerted effort to woo Bellingham two years ago, enlisting Sir Alex Ferguson to convince him to join and giving him a tour of the club’s training facilities. Bellingham was reportedly impressed with the lengths United went to, but he still opted against a move to Old Trafford.
It was reported in February that United’s football director John Murtough led United’s pursuit of Bellingham, but a presentation he gave the young midfielder failed to have the desired effect. Murtough did not show Bellingham a clear career pathway and he therefore chose to follow Jadon Sancho to Dortmund.
Sancho has subsequently returned to English football to join United and there has been speculation that central midfielder Bellingham could follow a similar path. The teenage sensation has also been linked with a switch to Anfield, with former Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp reportedly a big admirer of the player.
Have Your Say! Which Premier League club should Bellingham join once he leaves Dortmund? Tell us what you think here.
Bellingham continued: “I have my destiny in my hands and I know that if I try hard and trust the people around me, I can move forward. I came from England as a young talent. There was not much pressure. The first season went well. There were also matches where I sat on the bench and sometimes I did not play at all.
"I think my development this year has meant that I have played a bigger role in every game except two. I am very grateful to Dortmund for the way they have nurtured my talent.
"I think a lot of the credit goes to the coaching staff and the staff who keep the noise around me. In this way I can only focus on winning matches, because that’s what I’m here for.”
Bellingham became Birmingham’s youngest ever first-team player when he made his senior debut in August 2019, at the age of 16 years, 38 days and made 44 first-team appearances before moving to Germany. He has netted 10 goals in 89 appearances for Dortmund.
